Wood Thrush Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesWood Thrush
Pot-bellied thrush with a short tail and a upright posture. Reddish-brown above and white with bold blackish spots below.
© fernando Burgalin Sequeria / Macaulay LibrarySan José, January 26, 2019Medium-sized thrush with a large round belly covered in spots. Sings a flutelike clear song from understory and canopy perches.
© John Petruzzi / Macaulay LibraryOhio, May 03, 2017Song is a musical series of flutelike notes. Typically sings from high branches at dawn and dusk.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 19, 2010Not all videos have sound
Reddish brown above with a white eye ring and streaky cheeks.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 18, 2016Strong brownish black spotting on the underparts. Note white eyering.
© Daniel Jauvin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 06, 2017Parents typically feed nestlings a mixture of soft-bodied insects and fruits. The adults redistribute items that are not swallowed by nestlings, feeding it to other nestlings or consuming the leftovers themselves.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 01, 2006Not all videos have sound
Breeds in deciduous and mixed forests in the East with large trees and a moderate shrub layer.
© Charlie Shields / Macaulay LibraryIllinois, May 13, 2017Forages for ground-dwelling insects by removing leaf litter and probing the forest floor. Usually pauses intermittently to check for insect movement before probing continues.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 01, 1997Not all videos have sound
Commonly breeds in matures forests of eastern North America with a high variety of deciduous tree species such as maples (Red Maple shown in video), oaks, and gums.
© Eric Liner / Macaulay LibraryNew York, January 01, 2008Not all videos have sound
Similar SpeciesHermit Thrush
Adult
Hermit Thrushes have small, smudgy spots on the breast that fade toward the belly, while Wood Thrushes have clearly defined spots on clean white underparts. Hermit Thrushes have flat brown back and wings, while Wood Thrushes are ruddy brown above.
© Yves Gauthier (Mtl) / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, April 18, 2014Similar SpeciesSwainson's Thrush
Adult (Olive-backed)
Swainson’s Thrushes are smaller than Wood Thrushes with less bold belly spotting. Swainson's also have a buffy wash on the face and breast that Wood Thrushes do not have.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, May 14, 2016Similar SpeciesOvenbird
Adult
The Ovenbird is a warbler, not a thrush; it’s smaller, with a sharper bill and shorter legs than a Wood Thrush. They have a streaked, not spotted breast, and black stripes on the crown that Wood Thrushes lack.
© Don Blecha / Macaulay LibraryIllinois, September 24, 2016Similar SpeciesAmerican Robin
Female/immature
Female/immature American Robins have gray upperparts and rusty reddish tones on the belly and breast unlike Wood Thrushes, which are reddish-brown above with a spotted belly.
© Shawn Loewen / Macaulay LibraryNew Mexico, March 11, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Thrushes and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Turdidae)
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